jasonkyle1980

CHAPTER 1 In the most well lit table the tavern had to offer, a young  gnomish woman sat on a raised barstool, allowing her to hunch over onto the table, deliberately aping the posture of the middle-aged, bearded man across from her- though he was easily twice, if not three times her size.  Of course, at just under four feet tall, and not even fifty pounds, being twice the gnome's size wasn't hard to accomplish.   Both the gnome and human stared intently at their hand of cards, with a mix copper, silver and the occasional gold coins piled haphazardly in the middle of the table.  Both had a large pitcher of alcohol in front of them.  Every t

PROLOGUE: SKYDAY, VITA 5th 985 N.A. It was nearly sundown on the farmstead deep within the Bloody Strip Province, north of Denelspire.  A man in plain, olive drab clothing crouched unseen in a grassy field two hundred paces away from the farmhouse.  Blending in perfectly with the tall spring grass, he watched two dirty, sweaty farmers working in the same field he occupied.  The farmers – a man and a boy – bore a strong resemblance to each other, marking them as a father and son.  The boy was of average height and thin, while his father, not much taller, was far more muscular.  His appearance was a good indication of how the boy might look o

The girl's blonde ponytail bounced to and fro as she skipped cheerfully down the slope, a large wicker basket in one hand.  Her other hand was filled with pieces of dried meat that she'd swiped from the kitchen table before leaving her parents' farmhouse a few minutes earlier.  She generously tossed one of those pieces over to her small terrier, Cricket, who ran happily alongside of her. As she traveled, the girl casually noted the sun's low position over the eastern sky, and a slight frown briefly marred her angelic features.  It was still early morning, and already noticeably warm.  Humid too.  Summer wasn't far off.  And if there was one